Jumpers
by 2OwlsATweeting
Summary: Everyone was shocked when Annabeth Chase, soon to be Castellen, mysteriously disappeared, leaving her fiancé nothing but a letter, a letter which claimed she had thrown herself off the Brooklyn Bridge. On her way to the bridge, a complete stranger smiles at her, saving her life. Will he be the one to prove to her that life is still worth living?
1. Chapter One

**Disclaimer: We own nothing, it all belongs to Rick Riordan. Katherine and I own nothing.**

**Prolouge~**

_Luke,_

_I am not going to say I'm sorry... There's no point in being dishonest. Not now, not in my last hour on this Earth. After reading this letter, and figuring out my intentions, you might want to chase after me and tell me that you love me, as in every movie we have seen together. It would make no difference. After I am dead, you will say that I was some goddess who never did anything wrong. At my funeral, you will proclaim your undying love for me and probably sprout some nonsense about how happy we were, how happy I was. I am not going to ask that you do not mourn for me, frankly you showing any kind of emotion would be a delightful change in pace, but I do ask that you do not lie. I do not wish for you to tell everyone about how amazing and perfect our relationship was, because it was anything but. I have no use here, I am not wanted, although anyone I speak with will recognize my intentions, and say differently. I hope that where I am going, I will prove useful, and wanted. If you have not picked up on this yet, I am going to kill myself. But, being the reasonable person I am, I will give myself an out. I am going to walk to the Brooklyn Bridge, and if no one does something as simple as smile at me, then I will know for sure that I am useless. Regardless, I am leaving this life, and I will not be coming back to you, or anybody else in my life. If you would like, you can say that I died, and get the sympathy from all of the people we know, just like you enjoy doing now, because chances are, I will be dead._

_ Goodbye,_

_ Annabeth Chase_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hey guys! So, if you are a follower of all of our stories, then you will know that we have just finished our other Percy Jackson story: Here Comes the Bride. We are happy to announce that this will be our next main story that Katherine and I will be working on for the next year or so. This story is based off of a news article that I, Kathleen, read a while back. For anybody that is new to our account, then we do make youtube videos about the beginning, middle, and end of the stories we work on together, the link to our channel is in our bio. Katherine writes multiple stories without my help, so please check those out. Have a great day, and please remember to R&R!**

**~2OwlsATweeting**


	2. Chapter Two

**Disclaimer: We own nothing, we don't even really own the plot because this story is based on a newspaper article I read. All the Percy Jackson characters belong to Mr. Rick Riordan, not us.**

**_Chapter Two~_**

It was a brisk, autumn evening in the City. The temperatures had begun to drop considerably and the trees were beginning to lose their leaves. A young woman hurried along the crowded streets in Manhattan, pulling her pink, cotton scarf closer, in an attempt to ward off the harsh wind.

No one bothered to look at her, they were to immersed in their own busy lives. None knew of her intentions, and if they did, she doubted they would care. After all, that's why she was here, wasn't it? No one really cared whether she lived or died. No one would even miss her... Oh, he would pretend to miss her, he would pretend to love her. But she knew that every word that came out of his mouth was and always would be a lie. Her life was lie... She was useless, no longer needed on this Earth.

She didn't bother trying to hide how upset she was. How could she? She was going to kill herself, after all. Lost in thought, she bumped into a few people on her way to the bridge. Not one person gave her a second glance. The faces in the crowd began to blur together, no longer distinguishable. She looked up, her vision blinded by tears. There it was, The Brooklyn Bridge. She walked along it's sidewalk, her hands running over the bridge's railing. It was even windier here, causing her blonde curls to whip around her pale face.

She looked out, across the water, and toward the bright city. It was twilight, her favorite time of the day. The sun had already disappeared behind the skyscrapers and the sky, dusted with various shades of pink, purple, orange and blue, was beginning to darken. The city seemed to glow. She turned her gaze upon the Hudson River. She took a deep breath, and looked into it's dark, icy depths, which seemed to be calling to her, beckoning her closer. _Annabeth, Annabeth, Annabeth,_ it whispered. Her eyes fluttered shut as she placed her foot on the railing.

"Excuse me?" A man called out, frantically. "Ma'am! Are you alright?" Her grey eyes flew open, looking around wildly. She could she a young man pushing through the crowd trying to reach her, dragging someone else behind him.

"Ma'am!" He grabbed her shoulders, trying to get some kind of reaction. She stood their, frozen. This wasn't supposed to happen, no one was supposed to care about her, she was supposed to die. "Miss, can you tell me your name?" He shouted over the crowd. She stared at him through pain filled eyes, causing the young man to run his hands through his dark hair in frustration. He took her by the hand and pulled her, and the young boy, away from the bridge's railing and over to a near-by bench.

"Are you okay?" He asked, helping her sit on the bench.

"Per-C?" The young boy asked, "Is her gunna be okay?" Percy turned from her, to face the child.

"Yeah Ty, she's just feeling a little sick. Would you do me a favor and call Katie? Tell her something came up and we'll be a little late?" The young boy, Ty, nodded, took the phone from the gentleman's hands and walked over to the next bench.

"Can you tell me your name?" The young man asked again.

"Anna," She choked out, looking down.

"Hi Anna, can you tell me what you were doing?" He asked calmly, his voice not raising above a soft whisper.

"Jumping," she sobbed, still not looking up.

"And why?" He took her chin in his hands and gently rose it, until he could see her eyes. "Why would a beautiful woman, such as yourself, consider jumping?"

"No one cares about me," she whispered, pulling her eyes away from him, unable to see the pity she knew he held in his eyes.

"I care about you..." His voice was as sweet as honey.

"No, you don't-"

"I just said I did, and I do."

"You don't know me," she cried, finally meeting his startling, sea-green eyes. "If you did, you wouldn't be saying that. All I ever do is cause problems..."

"I presume you left your family a note telling them what you were about to do, right?" She nodded. "Let them grieve for you. Don't go back. Let them believe you dead. Start your life over again, find your dream job, start a family of your own and go surround yourself with people who you deserve. Regardless of what you may think, those people will be good people. What I see in you, Anna, is a good person who deserves an equally good life."

"But he can find me, he knows my name, he can look me up... He always finds me." Annabeth looked over her shoulder, frightened, almost expecting him to be standing behind her.

"Not if you change your last name." He said, rubbing his hands up and down her back, in an effort to calm her down. He had a mischievous glint in his eyes. Surprisingly, it didn't worry her. Instead it made her feel safe and reassured her of the good in this world.

"But what would I change it to?" She asked, awaiting his reply.

"Jackson. Anna Jackson. That doesn't sound too bad, does it? It's got a nice ring."

"It sounds wonderful," she said, laughing slightly. Percy looked behind him to see that the child had gotten off of the phone, and was beginning to grow restless. He turned back to the woman, almost regretfully.

"Anna," he said with a tone of authority, a tone she usually began to shake when she heard it coming out of _his_ mouth. But she knew that this man, standing in front of her, was only trying to protect her and she unexplainably trusted this dark haired savior. "You're going to have to promise me you won't jump..." He grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to look at him. "Promise me," he whispered, resting his forehead against hers.

"I promise," she whispered back

"You promise, what?"

"I swear to you that I will not jump off the Brooklyn Bridge. Or Niagara Falls," she said, smiling a little.

He stood up, inclining his head to her. "This is where we say goodbye.. Good luck, Anna Jackson." He winked at her and turned to go get the little boy. Together, they walked back to the older man's convertible.

"Is this what you do most days?" she called. The man turned around. "Save damsels in distress from throwing themselves off bridges?" She saw him laugh. "You're the first," he called back. " But let's not try to make it a habit, shall we?" He waved to her one last time, got into the car and drove away.

He seemed to not even realize what he had just done. He hadn't even thought about helping her, he had just done it as if it was no big deal. He had changed her life. He had saved her life, in more ways then one. He gave her a new identity. Anna Jackson. She would go and make a life for herself, and then she would return. And when she did return, she would thank this P. Jackson and make him understand just what he did that day. He had given her more then a second chance, he had given her a new beginning.

**A/N: Hey guys! So, I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter, I know I enjoyed writing it. After finishing such a great story, Here Comes The Bride, we can only hope that this story will be just as great as the last one! We hope you enjoyed this chapter, and we will try to get the next chapter to you by August 1st. As always, please make sure to R&R!**

**~2OwlsATweeting**


	3. Chapter Three

**Disclaimer: As of right now, we own nothing (although we have sent in various requests) It all still belongs to Rick Riordan.**

**_Chapter Three~_**

_Three Years Later..._

As she strolled through the mall, she couldn't stop herself from looking around at the people surrounding her. She was always looking for him, the man who had saved her life all those years ago. It was because of him that she had lived and was still here today. He had saved her with just a few words. He had given her the chance to start over completely. Her thoughts were disrupted by the frantic buzzing of her phone.

"Hello?" She answered.

"ANNIE? ANNIE, CAN YOU HEAR ME?!" Her best friend screamed, obviously struggling with a bad connection. Annabeth sighed slightly and held her tongue, not saying anything about the terrible nickname her roommate had given her.

"Yes Thalia, I'm here."

"Okay good. Are you at the mall?"

"Yes, why?" The blonde laughed.

"Which one?"

"What does it matter, Thalia?" She was beginning to grow impatient.

"Which one?" Her friend persisted.

"The one in Pineville, close to our apartment..."

"Oh good, can you stop by that candy store, Blue Icing?"

"Why?" Annabeth asked, pausing to look at a pair of high heels.

"Was I not clear?" Thalia demanded. "It's a candy store."

"Fine, what do you want?"

"Everything."

"Okay." Annabeth put down the shoes and looked around the mall for a directory. "Okay, fine, I'll be back later with your stupid candy."

"Yay!" Thalia cheered before hanging up the phone.

Annabeth shook her head at her childish friend, and set off to find the stupid candy store. It wasn't hard to find, it stood out like a sore thumb. It was completely blue and from three stores below, you could feel the vibrations from both the energetic music and the running of excited kids. She stood in front of the shop, overwhelmed by the sudden scent of cookies. She walked in and was immediately engulfed by the crowd of people. But the second the clock struck five, everyone seemed to disappear.

"Can I help you with something?" A small voice asked from behind. Annabeth turned to see a child's familiar face, though she couldn't remember where she had seen the child before.

"Um, no thank I-"

"Why not?" The child looked up at her with big, brown eyes.

"Well," she looked at the '_Hello My Name Is..' _tag pinned to the front of his shirt, "Tyson, I don't really know what I want."

"Well that's okay, I can help you pick summin out. You're pretty."

"Ty." A young man appeared, resting his hand on the boy's shoulder. "You can't just say that, she might think you're being rude, say you're sorry."

"Sorry." He looked down, ashamed.

"Oh no, that's okay, Tyson. Thank you." The boy looked up at her, his eyes shining again.

"Ty, why don't you go help Mom, and Katie?" Annabeth looked up at the name. Katie. Tyson. Her eyes met his sea-green eyes that radiated kindness, but still held some kind of msichevious smirk in them.

"What's your last name?" She asked, curiously.

"Um, Jackson," he replied taken aback. "Percy Jackson." She had found him. She had found her her angel, her savior. She let her eyes wonder up and down him, all of his perfect features replaying through her mind. After all these years of searching and he stood in front her.

"I- I have to go..." Annabeth looked away from her guardian angel and rushed out of the shop, too shocked to realize what she was doing. She hopped into her car, and sped home.

"Thalia!" She screamed frantically as she threw her keys down on the kitchen countertop. She heard the pounding of footsteps before she even saw her best friend. Thalia skipped a few steps on the staircase, and come tumbling down the rest of the stairs. She didn't even bother to make sure her friend was okay, Annabeth could have been bleeding to death for all she knew, no, Thalia rushed over and inquired of her candy.

"Did you get my candy? CANDY!" She screamed, looking around the apartment searching for where Annabeth might have set the candy down. "Where is my candy, I asked for candy."

"Forget the candy, Thalia!" Annbeth collapsed onto the couch, Thalia following close behind.

"I will never forget the candy-"

"I found him, Thals, I found the man who saved my life that day on the bridge!" She hadn't told her friend much about her past, but she had told her one thing, there was a man who had saved her.

"No way!" Thalia sat down in the beanbag across form her friend.

"Way, he was in the candy store with his brother!"

"Okay, so what did you say to him?" She asked excited.

"Nothing... I sort of, kind of... ran away. But I'll go back there tomorrow, he was wearing an apron, so he must work there..."

"What if he has the day off, or something?"

"Then I'll ask the manager his hours, obviously!" Annabeth got off the couch, and started to pick up her stuff.

"You don't think he might find that a little creepy?"

"So what? Thalia, I know him, once he finds out my intentions, he'll understand!" She started to make her way upstairs.

"Annabeth, you don't know him, he's just some random guy that asked if you were okay-"

"Don't you dare say that! You know what he did for me!"

"No, I don't actually! All I know is that some 'mystery guy' saved you from something, somehow. Annabeth, if you can't be honest with me about these kind of things, how can you be honest with some random guy you've only met once!?"

"Because he isn't some random guy, Thalia! He is my angel! He will remember me! I know it!"

"And what will you do if he doesn't? Annabeth, have ever stopped to think about this? What if he doesn't remember you? That was three years ago!"

"He isn't like that, he will remember me! You're just jealous that I'm opening up to him instead of you!"

"You're right! I am jealous! I am jealous that after all this time, being your friend, opening up my house to you, telling you all my secrets, and giving you all my trust, you still won't give me the same trust! After all we've been through I just thought that we would be closer... And now you have more of a history with some guy you just met then with me! And you've known me for three years!"

"I know him Thalia, I do." Annabeth rushed up the stairs, not wanting to argue anymore. As she laid on her bed, she couldn't stop her mind from wandering to that dark and terrible place, that place that asked _'what if he doesn't want to know you?'_ Shaking her head, she pushed that awful thought out of her head.

'_He will know me, he has to.'_

**A/N: Hey guys! We hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! This story has just been so much fun to write! This holiday has just been going by so fast! We don't really have too many announcements except that we have recently finished another Percy Jackson FanFiction titled Here Comes The Bride, we encourage you to go check that out too.**

**~2OwlsATweeting**


	4. Chapter Four

**Disclaimer: We own nothing, it all belongs to Mr. Rick Riordan.**

**_Chapter Four~_**

As Annabeth walked through the mall, she could barely contain her excitement. Or was it anxiousness? She was going to talk to the man that saved her. She was finally going to be reunited with her angel. She had been waiting three years, and then, in a candy shop of all places, she had found him. As Annabeth got to the shop, she couldn't help but let out a little squeal of excitement.

"Excuse me? Ma'am?" Annabeth asked a lady in a apron. The lady couldn't be older than forty and she radiated a familiar kindness. Her hair was dark and curly, and her eyes were a gorgeous shade of blue.

"Yes, dear?"

"Um, hi. I was actually looking for a man, about my age, named Percy Jackson?" The lady smiled.

"Hello." She wiped her hand on her apron, and held it out. "I'm Sally Jackson, I'm his mother." Annabeth smiled, and took her hand.

"Annabeth Jackson." The older woman's eyebrow rose. "Oh, no, no, no. No relation, I mean not really... He helped me out of a tough place a while back and let me take his last name, so my ex boyfriend-fiancé wouldn't be able to find me." Sally nodded.

"I see... Well how can I help you, Annabeth?"

"Well, I'm trying to find him-"

"Oh, you just missed him, he just left for his lunch break." Annabeth's heart fell. She had been building up this moment in her mind for so long, she didn't even think that it was lunch time, and that he wouldn't be there.

"Dear?" Sally asked.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. Thank you anyway-"

"He usually takes his lunch breaks in the food court." You could see a bit of him in her, she held the same kindness in her eyes.

"Thank you!" Annabeth exclaimed over her shoulder as she rushed to the food court. Not paying any attention to her surroundings, she ran over a few people in her haste to find her guardian angel. She spotted him sitting by the indoor fountain. Annabeth took a second to fix her hair and smooth out her skirt. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before doing what she had been waiting forever to do. Confront him.

"Hey," Annabeth said coyly. Percy looked up from his cellphone, to see her standing in front of him. "Can I sit down?" She motioned to the seat across from him. He simply nodded.

"Thanks..." She was quiet for a moment and then thrust her hand across the table. "I'm Annabeth, but you can call me Anna." She looked at him, waiting for the name to click in his head.

"Hi Anna, I'm Percy, it's nice to meet you." He smiled at her. His smile was beautiful, but not what she was looking for.

"You too. I don't know if you remember me, but-"

"Yeah, you were the one with Tyson at the store yesterday. You're the one he called pretty." He grinned at her again, his eyes sparkling. "You are, by the way. Pretty, I mean." Annabeth tried to hide her disappointment.

"Thank you... Is that all you remember?" She tried again, nervously biting her lip.

"I'm sorry, should there be more?" He asked hesitantly. She could see him struggling to remember something.

"Yes. No. Don't worry about it." Annabeth sighed and got up, turning to leave.

"Listen, I-"

"Save it, have a good day, Percy."

"Anna!" He called after her, but she was already gone. "Annabeth!" He got out of his seat, and ran to catch her. When he finally caught up to her, she was already to the middle of the food court. He caught her by her wrist and spun her around so that she was facing him.

"Annabeth... wait. I want to talk to you about this-"

"Talk about what, Percy?" She demanded. "I came here to tell you that I turned my life around, for you. I left my old life behind and I got my dream job! For you. And now you don't even remember! It really was nothing to you, was it...?" She laughed in disbelief. "God, I was so stupid!" She run a hand through her blonde curls, shaking her head at the irony of the situation. "I can't believe I actually thought you would remember me..." Percy looked at her helplessly. "To think that I thought you were my guardian angel... Well, I was wrong. You're no different then anyone else," she hissed. "Let go of me." He didn't.

"Annabeth, wait. That's not fair-"

"Fair?!" She cried incredulously. "You wanna talk about "fair" with me?! The world's not fair, Percy. Believe me, I learned that the hard way." She had tears in her eyes. Percy let her wrist slip from his grasp. She turned and hurried away from him. He stood there, watching her.

"So did I," he whispered softly.

Annabeth ran to her car. She slammed the door shut and clutched at the steering wheel, allowing a couple of tears to fall from her grey eyes. She dialed her best friend's number.

"Thalia?"

"Yeah? How did it go? Should I start packing your things? When should I expect grandchildren?"

"He didn't remember..."

**A/N: Hey guys! So here is another chapter of Jumpers. Yes, believe it or not this actually is on time... We hope you enjoyed it and apologize for it's shortness. We have been really busy, with color guard and swimming and what not... The good news is that Katherine only has two more days of swimming and then she has the rest of the month off. The bad news is that I will be starting my color guard season soon and the end of summer (and all our free time) is rapidly approaching. We haven't really had much time to write really long chapters... Sorry! Be sure to R&R!**

**~2OwlsATweeting**


	5. Chapter Five

**Disclaimer: You know the drill. These characters are not ours, they belong to some guy named Rick Riordan who's created like three different book series involving Greek, Roman and Eygptian Mythology. Yeah, no biggie ;) We hope that we have done Mr. Riordan and his characters justice and that you enjoy this chapter!**

_**Chapter Five~**_

"Wait, Annie!" Thalia ran after her friend, who was running up the stairs of their apartment, tears staining her face.

"What?" The blonde sobbed.

"Let's talk about this!" Thalia panted, struggling to keep up. "We _need_ to talk about this... You need to talk about this..."

"What is there to talk about, Thalia?!" Annabeth demanded. "He doesn't remember me! End of story!"

"Annabeth, you need to calm down... Getting upset and screaming isn't going to help anything-"

"Thalia. I do not _want_ to talk, nor do I _need_ to talk."

"Annie-" Thalia started, but the blonde shook her head vehemently.

"No! I'm fine!" Her voice broke. She swayed, grabbing onto the railing for support, her knuckles turning white. Thalia ran up to her and pulled her into a tight embrace.

"It's okay to not be fine you know," she said gently, stroking Annabeth's blonde curls as the latter leaned heavily against her. "You don't always have to be strong, you know... You don't have to be afraid of breaking every once in a while... You don't have to be afraid of not being in control..."

"But what if I go back to that place?" Annabeth demanded. "Thalia, the last time I broke, I tried to kill myself."

"I know," the brunette soothed. "But you're not that same girl."

"But I _can be_..." Her grey eyes looked like shattered glass. "I don't have to look that hard to find her again. Behind this new Anna is the same weak Annabeth... She's just waiting for a chance to come out again..."

"Then you tell her that she can't control you anymore, okay? You've changed, you're different. You are not the same woman who tried to jump." Annabeth nodded, wiping her eyes.

"I have to do something really quick," Thalia said, grabbing her leather jacket from the railing. "Will you be okay here if I leave for about an hour or so? I can go pick us up some dinner..."

"Depends what you pick up..."

"How about your favorite Chinese takeout?"

"Well how could I say no to that?" Annabeth laughed weakly.

"I'll be right back." Thalia promised, squeezing her friend's hand. "Try to go to sleep okay, honey?"

"Night, Thals," Annabeth sighed, shutting the bedroom door softly behind her.

Thalia grabbed her black leather jacket and car keys off the kitchen counter and slammed the apartment door behind her. She stomped to her car and slammed that door behind her too. She was enraged the entire drive to the mall. How dare he? How dare this Peter Johnson guy, or whatever the hell his name was, treat _her _best friend as if she were uworthy of his attention, as if she were inferior to him. Well, she'd show him... She was going to make sure that 'Percy Jackson' had the crappiest day of his life because he deserved it. And in some twisted, sick, perverse way, that thought filled Thalia with glee.

It was the first time that the smell of Blue Icing couldn't cheer Thalia up. She marched straight to the front counter, bypassing the opportunity to try a free chocolate sample. She had to sternly remind herself why she was here... and sadly, it wasn't for the chocolate. She was greeted by a handsome raven-haired young man who stood behind the counter.

"Hi," he flashed her a wide grin. "How can I help you today, ma'am?"

Hi. I'm looking for some guy named Percy Jackson... Is he around?" The young man had startling green, kind eyes, and even though she was upset, it was impossible to be rude to this guy. He wore a blue button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, exposing his toned and tanned arms.

"Well you won't have to look much farther," he laughed. "I'm Percy Jackson. It's nice to meet you, Miss-"

"Thalia. Can we step outside for a moment? I need to talk to you." Percy was very cooperative and did what he was asked immediately.

"What can I do you for you, Thalia?"

"You can explain to me why you hurt my friend."

"I'm sorry? I don't understand." He looked genuinely confused.

"My friend, Anna Jackson? She came to see you at lunch today and you blew her off."

"Oh, that..." He licked his lips nervously.

"Yeah that." Thalia hissed. "You broke her already broken heart... You saved her life once, and you don't even remember it!" Hearing Thalia's shouts, the owner of the sweet shoppe, Sally Jackson, hurried out to Percy's aid.

"Excuse me, ma'am? Is there problem here?"

"Yes," Thalia smiled sweetly. "There is. You see a couple years ago _Percy_ here saved my best friend's life... She's spent the last three years searching for him, to _thank_ him. And this afternoon, when she finally did find him, he does't even bother to _remember_ her." Sally's face fell.

"Thalia, there's something I think you should know, something your friend should know as well... Would you step into my office with me?" Thalia nodded reluctantly and followed her into the back, leaving Percy standing outside, looking helplessly after her. Thalia was taken aback by all of the pictures in the tiny office. The walls were covered in little yellow sticky notes that were filled with a variety of handwriting ranging from tall and loopy to small and sloppy to just plain illegible.

"Please take a seat." Sally motioned to a light blue chair that looked out of place and oddly professional.

"With all due respect ma'am, I don't think I should be in here." She replied stiffly. "He hurt my friend, he _deserves_ to be yelled at." Sally laughed lightly .

"Yes, I'm sure he does, he always does... However, I am interested to know what happened between him and your friend..."

"My friend, Anna, met him about three years ago, and he saved her life."

"How so?" Sally asked, propping her head on her raised arm, her blue eyes gleaming with curiosity.

"She was about to jump off a bridge but he stopped her. He gave her a new identity and let her take his last name so that the people who were looking for her wouldn't find her. Since then she's been searching for him, so she could thank him. As I said, she found him earlier today, and he blew her off. He had no memory of her!" Thalia clenched the rim of her seat, trying to remain calm.

"Well, Thalia, I think it's your turn to be misinformed... Percy doesn't remember _anything_."

"What?"

"He was... in an accident about two years ago... and he knocked his head. Percy was in a coma for eight months. Once he woke up, most of my son's memories were gone. He could remember the big things, like who I am, who his brother is, what his name is and things like that, but he can't remember the names of regular customers, the name of his brother's school, for awhile he couldn't even remember the friends he had made in the past year..."

"So he didn't remember Anna because he was in an accident?" Thalia asked slowly.

"Yes." Sally nodded. "That's why this office is full of sticky notes, they're full of reminders, memories. The memories are starting to come back, but most of these are memories that his brother and I have of him." Thalia was silent for a moment.

"Then I guess I kinda owe him an apology..." She admitted sheepishly.

"I guess you do." Sally stood up and held her hand out, motioning to Thalia to leave.

"Thank you for your time-" Thalia paused not knowing the woman's name.

"Sally." She stuck her hand out. "Sally Jackson"

"Thank you, Sally." Thalia nodded at the older woman before shutting the office door behind her.

Thalia sighed and prepared to walk the walk of shame out of the store, knowing she would have to apologize to Percy. He was sitting behind the counter, idly flipping through the latest _Sports Illustrated_ magazine. She cleared her throat. "Hey, um Percy? I'm sorry that I stormed in here yelling at you." She kept her head low and didn't look him in the eye.

"It's okay," he chuckled slightly. "But your friend, Anna, if she wants to talk or something I'd be willing to meet up with her. Mind you, I'm not sure I'd be much help... But, I figure it's worth a shot." He grinned.

"I'll let her know you said that..." Percy pulled out a small piece of paper and handed it to Thalia. "Here. Just in case." He winked at her. She smiled slightly and turned to leave.

"Thalia?" He called. She paused. "Will you tell her that I'm sorry?" She nodded, smiling slightly, and left the shoppe.

By the time Thalia returned to her and Annabeth's apartment at the edge of the city, the apartment was dark and silent.

"Anna!" No one answered. "Anna, I talked with Percy and there's something you need to know! There's a reason he doesn't remember and it's not because he doesn't care about you! By the way, I brought you Hawaiian Thai Fried Rice which an egg roll and a Starbucks coffee! I didn't even have a sip of your Chai Tea Latte! Annie?" Thalia warily approached Annabeth's bedroom door which was tightly shut. She knocked softly. "Annie?" She asked hesitantly when she didn't hear a sound from within. Thalia threw open the door and burst into the small bedroom. A note lay on the recently made bed.

_Thalia,_

_I went for a walk, don't wait up for me. I plan on being awhile..._

_~Anna_

Thalia crumbled the note in her fist and ran to the kitchen where she had left her keys on the counter.

"Crap." She muttered to herself. "Anna's going to jump again." She grabbed an egg roll as she hurried out the door.

Thalia fumbled through her purse, frantically searching for her cell phone. Breathing a sigh of relief at having found the phone, she speed dialed the number seven and waited four rings before hearing a candy sweet voice on the other end of the line.

"Blue Icing. This is Sally speaking, how can I help you?"

"Hi, Sally... it's Thalia. I was just in about forty five minutes ago yelling at Percy and generally make a big scene?" She had the grace to sound ashamed.

"Hi Thalia, how are you honey?" The older woman greeted warmly.

"Good, good." Thalia rushed through the polite part of the conversation, not even asking how Sally was doing. "Can you put Percy on the phone, it's kind of important..." Sally was quiet for a moment.

"I don't know if that's the best idea, dear... I think you both need some time to calm down and recollect your thoughts and emotions. It was all very dramatic."

"I know and I'm sorry about that, but this really important and I don't have much time!" Sally sighed, going against her better judgement and giving into the brazen girl's request.

"Alright, he's right here."

"Hello?" A familiar masculine voice was on the other line.

"Percy? Yeah, this is Thalia, you know the girl who yelled at you not to long ago? Yeah, you remember? Oh, good. Look I need a favor, and I need it now." She spoke quickly, trying to navigate her way through the heavy nighttime traffic.

"Thalia, I don't know... I met you not even an hour ago..." Thalia lost her patience, honking angrily at the yellow taxi cab in front of her."She's at the bridge." She cried, angry tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. She blinked hard, willing them to go away. "That girl Anna? The one who you saw at lunch earlier today? She's at the Brooklyn Bridge right now and is considering jumping..."

"Call the police then! I can't do one damn thing... I'm the _last_ person she'll want to see right now, believe me... I'll just make her more upset!"

"The police would just make her even more distressed. You saved her life once, and you didn't know her then either. Please, I'm begging you, just try one more time!" She was desperate now. Her car was a hundred yards from the bridge.

"Alright." Percy quickly conceded. "I'm on my way. I'll be there in ten minutes. Just try to keep her _on_ the bridge until I get there."

"I'll try."

"Thalia? You know this may not work, right?"

"It has to." Thalia replied, vehemently. "I refuse to think about the alternative."

She snapped the phone shut. Thalia pulled over onto the side of the rode and parked her car, clambering out of it instantly. She weaved in and out of the other vehicles and pedestrians, racing across the bridge, frantically looking for the blonde woman; her short, choppy, black hair whipping around her. "Annabeth!" Thalia yelled. She spotted her friend not twenty feet from her. Annabeth was pale and shaking, her knuckles white, gripping onto the bridge's metal railing. She had leaned over slightly, staring into the river's dark depths which seemed to be calling to her, beckoning her dangerously closer.

"Annie!" Thalia ran up to her, panting and out of breath, her cheeks flushed and her eyes bright with tears. "Annie, please don't do this." Thalia begged.

"Do what, Thalia? I'm just taking a walk…" She wouldn't meet Thalia'a electric blue eyes.

"This isn't the end, and you _know_ that! So what if some guy isn't who you thought he was? It's going to happen, that's life for you! That doesn't, and shouldn't, change who you are!"

"I don't think you understand. I modeled _my_ life after the kindness _he_ showed me… And it was a lie," she whispered. "That's all my life has ever been… A lie that consumes me, a lie that chokes me until I can't breathe..." Annabeth slipped her feet out of her silver ballet flats and climbed onto the railing of the bridge. Her blonde curls whipped around her. All she had to do was let go… Her startling grey eyes fluttered shut.

"And why should you change if he changes?" A deep masculine voice asked. Her eyes snapped open and she turned to see Percy Jackson himself, struggling to keep his composure, exhausted from his run to the bridge.

"What are you doing here?" Annabeth's voice trembled. Percy took a hesitant step towards her. "Get away from me! I don't want to see you ever again!" Annabeth screamed.

"Well if you would just stop trying to kill yourself, I wouldn't have to keep saving you and you wouldn't have to see me again!" A drop of rain hit Annabeth's arm.

"Stay back! Don't come any closer!"

"Come on, just give me your hand. I'll pull you back over."

"No! Stay where you are! I mean it! I'll let go..." Percy paused.

"No you won't," he replied softly. More drops of rain fell from the heavens. "Just because I couldn't be the man you needed me to be doesn't mean you can't be the woman you want to be. My personal fails and triumphs should not impact you or your life. I gave you a new life once. Don't throw yours away like I did mine!" He had to shout above the howling wind to make his voice audible to her. Without her noticing he had gradually inched closer to her, only ten yards from her.

"What new life?" She cried. "Nothing has changed! I'm still trapped with no way out! I am still clawing at my cage but have no idea how to free myself," she sobbed. "Meeting you was supposed to release me! But you ruined my only chance of freedom! I hate you, Percy Jackson!" She collapsed onto the ground, wrapping her arms around her body as she sobbed, her howls intermingling with the winds. It was pouring now and her hair and clothes were soaked, plastered to her body.

"Annabeth." He knelt down beside her, touching his forehead to hers. "Only you can release yourself. You held yourself prisoner in that cage by putting unreasonable expectations on yourself and me, knowing that both of us could never live up to them. Why? Because you didn't want to be released. I was a jerk for not remembering you, but that shouldn't change the bright future you deserve." He paused. "Annabeth? Annabeth, I want you to look at me." He tilted her head up with his hands and grey eyes met green. "No matter what would have happened today _you would still feel trapped inside."_

"I just want to be happy... The only happiness I can ever remember is when you stopped me from jumping that day. You're my happiness, and when you didn't remember me it felt like there was no such thing. You made me feel like nothing ever happened. Like my happiness never even existed. "

"It did, I promise you. You just never realized it. You never took a step back to marvel at all the goodness of the world... You were too consumed in your own grief. There's a lot that you don't understand, that you need to understand, but if you jump, you never will. So I need you to get up and come to dinner with me where I will explain _everything _to you, and you will be very glad you didn't take a stroll on that bridge." He gave her a small smile, and offered her his hand.

"Why should I trust you?" She demanded.

"Why not?" He asked, winking at her. "It saved your life before." She laughed slightly at his words and accepted his hand, standing up. It was still raining and they were both drenched to the bone.

"Fine." She conceded. "But you have a lot of explaining to do."

"I know." He smiled.

"And you're paying." He laughed.

"Wouldn't dream of doing it any differently." He grabbed Thalia's car keys from her and helped Annabeth into the black Mercedes-Benz. The two of them left, leaving Thalia standing in the rain cold, wet, shivering and alone on the Brooklyn Bridge.

**Authors' Note:**

**Firstly, we would like to reassure all of our readers that we are not dead and that this story has not been abandoned! We have further planned this story's plot and are very excited to see where it will take us... It's going to be one hell of a ride and we hope you'll ride along with us! This will be our primary story that we update continuously during the summer so be on the lookout for more updates :) **

**We always love hearing from our audience and your reviews are very much encouraged and appreciated, we love receiving them and they motivate us to update faster! Constructive criticism is always welcomed but we ask that you please refrain from burning us with your flames :)**

**We love all and thank you for your continued love, encouragement and support.**

**~2OwlsATweeting**


	6. Chapter Six

**We own nothing except the characters we create and the plot, all the rest goes to Mr. Rick Riordan.**

Chapter Six~

Dinner was an awkward affair. After all, small talk could only get you so far… Halting conversations pertaining to his job, her job, his family, the weather, and Thalia had been extinguished long ago. After yet another comment on the dreary weather, a heavy silence had fallen over them, like the fog that lay on a meadow in the early morning hours. Annabeth fidgeted, tapping her foot on the floor whilst fiddling with the white napkin that lay across her lap, refusing to meet Percy's startling green eyes. Percy had not taken his eyes off of her for the entire night and continued to drum his fingers against the side of his glass. Annabeth shifted uncomfortably under his calculating and inquisitive gaze.

She was like a puzzle to him. And like most puzzles, he simply couldn't figure her out, though he desperately wanted to. "Why did you do it?" She asked him suddenly. "Why did save my life?" He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his broad chest, pondering his answer. "You don't even know who am I."

"There was no way I was about to let you jump off that bridge if I knew that I could stop you." Percy replied.

"And if you couldn't?"

"I would still try."

"Why?" Annabeth wondered.

"Is it so hard to believe that I care about you?"

"How can you say that you care about me when you don't even remember saving my life three years ago?"

"I care about you because now, whether you want me or not, I'm involved in this too. I care that you almost killed yourself because of me. And that's something that I would not be able to live with…" Percy admitted.

"And if I had jumped?" She asked, finally meeting his gaze.

"Like I said, I'm too involved now. I would have jumped in after you."

Annabeth laughed in disbelief. "I don't understand you."

"What do you want to know?"

"How about the truth?" Annabeth quipped. Pain flashed behind his eyes.

"I know you think that's what you think you want to hear, but trust me, it isn't."

"It can't be any worse than what I've already imagined…" The look in Percy's eyes said otherwise.

"Annabeth, I don't want to hurt you-"

"I think it's already too late for that, don't you?"

"You shouldn't have let yourself get hurt by me."

"You should have remembered me!" Annabeth cried.

"Don't you see, Annabeth? _I can't!"_

"What?" Annabeth flinched at his words. Percy remained silent, his eyes pleading with her. "You promised me answers, Percy!" Percy sighed.

"The truth is that you almost died today because of something you don't understand. I didn't intentionally forget you, Annabeth, believe me I would have remembered someone like you." His eyes roamed over her. "Until quite recently I haven't been able to remember anything before two years ago…" Waves of distress washed over her.

"Why?" Her voice was full of grief. "Why can't you remember me?" She whispered.

"Because on September 11, 2001, just a couple of months after I had met you for the very first time, there was another tragedy…" Percy's voice wavered. Annabeth shook her head, willing the tears to go away. Percy continued. "And this time I couldn't save everyone, including myself."

_~FLASHBACK~_

_"Percy, Percy!" Tyson tugged impatiently on his older brother's pant leg. "Can we get ice cream!?" He wailed as the brothers walked through the busy New York streets._

_"Fine. We can get ice cream after we stop by the office." Percy said, trying to keep his voice from sounding irritated. His mother had forgotten that Tyson's day care was closed for the day, and that she would have to watch him. She had made plans to go to lunch with a potential investor for Blue Icing. So of course Percy had been expected to drop everything at work, and take Tyson to a family friend's for the day._

_"But I want it now!" He whined._

_"No you don't. If we get it now, you won't have time to think of exactly what you want. This way, when we get there, you will have your sundae all planned out, and it will be perfect!" Tyson stayed quiet for a moment, thinking about Percy's offer._

_"Okay... Fine." The two walked in silence, Tyson too consumed in his sundae planning to talk. When the two arrived at the towers, Percy couldn't help but admire the way the clouds bounced off the twin towers. Every time he looked at the beautiful architecture he was reminded just how lucky he was to have landed a job as a social service worker in the twin towers._

_"Ty, we're here. Look at that, isn't it pretty?" Percy pointed to the giant structures in front of them._

_"Mhmm," Tyson mumbled, uninterested. Percy looked down at his younger brother and pitied him, remembering how he hated it when his Mom would do errands on her way to taking him to Chiron's._

_"Alright, let's go get that ice cream." Tyson skipped to the nearest stand, which was right in front of Chiron's apartment. Percy paid for the ice cream and rang the doorbell to the apartment._

_"Percy, m'boy! I wasn't expecting you to be here!" Chiron's smiling face greeted him at the doorway._

_"Yeah, I just came to drop Tyson off for the day, Mom has an important meeting-"_

_"No problem, Tyson is always welcome here. Will you be staying?"_

_"No, I have to get to work." Percy sighed, tapping his foot impatiently._

_"Oh, yeah! Sally was telling me you got a new job..." Chiron and Sally had been good friends ever since Percy was born. They used to be neighbors, and when Percy was younger, he and all the other neighborhood kids would stay with Chiron while the parents went to work._

_"I work as a social service worker over at the Towers. I actually need to be heading over there now-" Percy glanced at his watch, and looked over to his destination._

_At first glance, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. There was a plane flying through the air, directly towards the Twin Towers. Percy looked around. A handful of people were watching, but none were concerned. The plane would go up and around. No doubt about it. The plane was going to move out of the way. As the plane got closer and closer, Percy's heart began to race. More people were noticing now. Realizing with horror what was about to happen, Percy yelled, "The plane is going to hit, everyone cover!"_

_He threw one hand to his neck, covering his head, and used the other to pull Tyson from the steps, and into the apartment. He looked up, and at the last second, he saw the plane collide with the skyscraper. A fire instantly engulfed the plane, which now lodged inside of the building. "Chiron, keep Tyson here! No matter what happens, do not leave!"_

_"What about you Percy? You should get inside too!"_

_"I can't!" Percy shouted over his shoulder, already running towards the towers. "I have friends trapped in there! I have to go help!"_

_Percy dashed into the building, and for a nanosecond things seemed almost normal. The entrance hall was intact, with the small exception of worthless trinkets on the floor, scattered from the impact. Some people were crying, while others were looking at the ceiling above them, confusion written on there faces. "A plane has hit the building, everyone needs to evacuate!" Percy yelled. To his surprise, no one moved. They stood, still as statues, stunned, and unable to comprehend what they were just told. One by one they all started to file out of the room. Percy watched until he was sure everyone has reached the doors before he began to move to the stairwell._

_"Help!" Percy heard a faint voice cry as he opened the door to the stairwell._

_"Hello?" Percy called out._

_"Help! Please help me! I'm stuck!" The voice cried again, a little louder._

_"Where are you?" He called out again._

_"In here!" Percy followed the voice to the nearest elevator._

_"Hello? Is anyone in here?" He pressed his head against the elevator door, and spoke gently._

_"Me!"_

_"Hi, my name is Percy. I'm here to help you... Can you tell me your name?"_

_"Emily Brancheau." She sniffled._

_"Hi Emily, I'm gonna get you out of here, okay? How old are you?" He asked noticing how high her voice was._

_"I just turned eight." Percy's heart leapt at her answer. This little girl was only eight, she had her whole life ahead of her._

_"Alright, so here's what's gonna happen. Emily, I need for you to stand back because I'm going to try and pull the elevator open, okay?"_

_"Okay." Her voice shook._

_"Just keep clam in there for me. Everything is going to be fine, I promise." Percy began pulling on the doors, trying to pry them open for nearly half an hour with no luck._

_"Percy, can you get me out of here soon? I'm getting really hot." Emily whimpered._

_"I'm working on it, Emily." Percy gritted out. "UGH!" Percy felt the doors open. With two more tugs, a crack in the doors appeared, and in the crack, emerged half the face of a little girl._

_"Percy!" He let a small smile appear on his face when he saw that the girl was unscathed._

_"Hi, Emily." He replied softly. "Nice to see you." She let out a small giggle, before becoming serious again._

_"You have to keep trying-" She was cut off by the shrieks from the bystanders on the street, who had finally comprehended what had happenEd_

_"Percy? Percy, what's happening!?" Percy stepped away from the elevator._

_"Emily, I don't want to freak you out, but about thirty minutes ago or so, a plane crashed into this building, which is why you're stuck in here. The tower won't be stable for long, so I'm trying to get you out as quickly as possible." He stopped trying to comprehend the words he had just said. They sounded bizarre, almost like some crazy dream._

_"Please don't let me die." Emily whispered, tears welling up in her pretty green eyes._

_"You're not going to die. I am right here, and I'm not going to let anything happen to you." Percy stuck his wrist through the opening in the doors and she grabbed his hand, clinging to it._

_"I'm so scared."_

_"Don't be, okay? I've got you, but I need you to be extra strong right now, okay? I need to go get some professional help because these doors aren't going to budge. I'm going to leave you for a couple minutes and go get some help, okay?" He tried to stop his voice from shaking._

_"Why can't we just wait for them here?" She asked, clearly petrified about the thought of being alone._

_"Well right now, they are probably trying to come up with a plan to get everyone out. There will be tons of people who can help, but I need to go make sure that they know to come and get you. I will be back in just a couple minutes, okay?" He tried to remove his hand from the elevator, but she yanked it back in._

_"How long?" Percy ran his free hand through his hair, flustered._

_"Um, give me fifteen minutes tops, okay? Just count the minutes, don't focus on anything else. Keep counting, and I'll be right back." He removed his hand, and started to run to the exit._

_"One…two…three…"_

_He ran outside and all he saw was blackness, chaos. "Excuse me, sir!" He yelled to a nearby fireman._

_"Sir, I'm kind of busy at the moment, as you can see-" The fireman began to hurry off again, but Percy followed him_

_"There's a little girl stuck in the elevator! Her name is Emily Brancheau and she's only eight years old. She needs help, she's on the bottom floor and I've been trying to get her out for about half an hour now, with no luck. I need you to help me get her out!"_

_"Yeah, you and about a thousand other people. Look sir, I'm going to be honest with you... We are not equipped to handle this kind of emergency, but we are doing the best we can. I assure you, someone will assist you after we have gotten higher priority people out first-"_

_"Why is an eight year old innocent girl not a top priority!?" Percy hissed._

_"Sir, please try to understand, we are doing the best that we can-"_

_"You're obviously not doing a good enough job if you are prepared to let an eight year old die without even trying to help her!" He ran his hair through his hair, in frustration._

_"Fine! I will go check it out, but no promises."_

_"What do you mean no promises?" Percy questioned._

_"I can't promise I can get this girl out. I'm not authorized to use that sort of equipment, I'm just a trainee."_

_"Then can I talk to someone who is? This child's life is at stake!" Percy was beginning to get even more frustrated and desperate than he already was, which he wasn't even sure was possible._

_"Okay, let me just go find a manager-" His sentence was followed by a loud shriek, coming from a woman to the left of them. Percy looked, and saw her pointing skyward, crying, and trying to fight off the police officer, who was trying to calm her down. When he looked, up he was horrified._

_"Ma'am, please calm down, you are scaring everyone-" The officer tried to sooth._

_"Another plane is coming!" Percy shook the officer restraining the woman, and pointed at the plane, which was heading directly for the South Tower._

_"Everyone down!" Percy felt himself being yanked down by the firemen he had been previously arguing with._

_"Get off!" Percy shook free, and began to sprint back towards the North Tower._

_"Sir! Get back here! That plane is gonna hit!" The fireman yelled. Percy slowed to a jog, and turned to face him._

_"I have to go tell Emily!"_

_"Who?"_

_"Emily, the girl stuck in the elevator! I have to be there with her!" Percy dashed back into the tower._

_"Emily!" His voice rang loudly through the once beautiful hall._

_"Percy! You're back!" He met her smiling face in the elevator._

_"Emily, give me your hand!" He reached into the elevator, grasping for her fingers. "Emily, there is a plane about to hit the South Tower, it's going to shake us pretty badly, so you need to be-" He was interrupted by a rumbling that began softly, but slowly grew into the loudest thunder he had ever heard._

_"Percy!" She shrieked with fear._

_"Don't worry, I'm right here." He whispered as he rested his head on the elevator, exhausted, and out of hope. "I'm right here and I'm not going to leave you. Right here." He squeezed her hand tightly. The rumbling continued, only it wasn't soft anymore, it was roaring. It was so loud; he could have sworn he had gone deaf. After thirty seconds of the loud rumble, it was matched with a shake that would have broken the Richter scale._

_"Percy!" Emily screamed._

_"Right here. This will all be over soon. Very soon." He whispered, gripping her hand, tighter and tighter with every passing second. And it was. The rumbling that had once been unbearable to listen to had quieted down to a terrifying hum._

_"Is it over yet?" She whimpered._

_"Almost."_

_"Where is everybody?"_

_"I couldn't get anyone to come in here and help me, they were all busy-"_

_"No. I mean where is everybody? In the beginning there was a lot of people running through here. Now it's empty, what happened?" Her voice quivered, knowing she didn't really want the answer. Percy, who had been so focused on getting her out, tried to form a sentence._

_"Well they got everyone out who was easy to get out, and now their trying to come up with a plan to get everyone else out."_

_"But they're not going to be able to get everyone out?" She let out a small sob._

_"I don't know. But all I'm worried about right now is getting you out, okay? That's all you need to be worrying about too, so step back, I'm gonna try and pull on the doors again. Just think about other things." Percy stepped back to take a look at the doors that were separating this little girl between life and death, and knew he had to try again. Trying for another twenty minutes, Percy almost gave up, but on what felt like the millionth tug, he finally got the doors to part a little more._

_"Emily, I know the hole looks really small, but we are running out of time, so I need you to try to climb through it." She nodded, and stuck one leg out, and slipped her body through the space, falling into Percy's arms._

_"Thank you!" She sobbed into his shoulder._

_"No problem," He laughed, slightly out of breath from pulling for so long. "Let's go, we don't know how much time we have left." He adjusted her, getting ready to set her down._

_"Can I stay with you?" She whispered, her arms wrapped around his neck._

_"Of course." He shifted her onto his hip, and began to walk out of the tower._

_When the two got out of the building, Percy couldn't help but notice how drastically the world around him had changed in just less than two hours. The only similarity the streets bore to before was all the people rushing around him. Only now they rushed with a new sense of urgency: panic. Their lives were change for good. Nothing would ever be the same. He turned to face the towers, against his better judgment and although he had been told, even saw the planes crashing into the skyscrapers, he hadn't really understood. His sight hazy from all the smoke, he couldn't make out much, except for the small silhouettes jumping from some of the higher floors._

_"Percy? What are those people doing?" Emily asked curiously, pointing at the people above them._

_"They're jumping." Percy answered, astonished._

_"Jumping? Why are they jumping?"_

_"Remember how I told you they were making a plan to come get the people up high?" She nodded._

_"Well, they can't get everyone. And those people are starting to realize that. Some of them are deciding that they want to meet God by their own choice."_

_"But why would they do that?"_

_"Sometimes people feel really desperate, and they do things like that." He allowed a small tear to fall as he spotted a young blonde woman, plummeting to the ground below. He couldn't help but to think of the woman he had saved only months ago. For a moment he allowed himself to think about something other than the disaster in front of him, and thought of her. He hoped that her life was good and that she was far away from all this. He hoped that maybe, just maybe they would see each other again._

_"Percy!" He turned to look at Emily who was in his arms, her hands covering her ears. His worst fears were confirmed. The building was going to come down. The rumbling had returned._

_"Emily, pull your shirt over your head, like this!" He pulled his own shirt over his head._

_"What's happening?" She cried._

_"Just hold on tight, it's almost over!" He began running, along with the rest of New York, no particular place in mind, just away from the towers. _Because the most iconic twins in all of New York were falling._ He ran with Emily for what felt like miles, debris falling all around them and the black smoke descending upon them. He gave up hope of out running the falling building, and found an abandoned car, turned on it's side. He took Emily and placed her down behind the car, hoping it would shield them at least a little bit._

_"Percy!" Emily wailed._

_"Keep your shirt above your face. We're just going to rest here." He tried to sooth, as the child snuggled into his chest._

_"Are we gonna die now?" She cried, her voice muffled by tears and the shirt over her face._

_"Shhhh. It will all be over soon. Just try to go to sleep." Percy looked out the window of the car, and with one gust, his view was overtaken with black._

_He must have fallen asleep too, because the next thing he knew, he was being loaded onto an ambulance._

_"Wuz hupin?" He tried to speak, but found he couldn't speak through the oxygen mask. He pulled it up. "What's happenin?" He questioned, his voice slurred._

_"Sir, we found you behind a car unconscious, there has been an accident. Can you tell me your name?"_

_"Emily," He muttered, rubbing his forehead. His eyes had finally focused; he sat up only to be pushed back down._

_"Your name's Emily?" The paramedic asked, confused._

_"No, the little girl..."_

_"What little girl?" The paramedic asked as she began to close the doors to ambulance._

_"Percy!" A high voice squealed. He sat up again, and looked around._

_"Open the doors!" He demanded to the paramedic. Taken aback by his sudden burst of energy, she did as she was told. Waiting in her own stretcher, Emily was outside the doors._

_"Percy!" She attempted to jump out of the stretcher, but was held down by her own paramedic._

_"You know this girl?" His paramedic asked._

_"Yes, I got her out of an elevator right before the tower fell... Can we share a room? I'm all she has right now..." The paramedic nodded sympathetically._

_"John, take them to St. Vincent's, room 1107." The medic, apparently named John nodded, and rolled Emily away._

_"Can we go now, Sir?" Percy nodded his consent, and the medic closed the doors._

_"So what's your name?" Percy asked conversationally._

_"Louise. But let's just focus on you right now, okay?" Percy nodded, and laid back into the stretcher._

_"What's your name?" Louise asked._

_"I don't know." He answered dully._

_"Do you have any family we can contact?" The nurse asked._

_"Not that I can remember." She nodded._

_"How old are you?"_

_"I can't remember!"_

_"Do you have any kind of medical information I should know about? Any medications you take regularly?"_

_"Why can't I remember!?" Percy started to thrash frantically._

_"It's okay sir, a little memory loss after this kind of thing is normal."_

_"What's happening to me?" He asked, still frantic, and not at all comforted by what she had said._

_"Are you experiencing any pain?"_

_"My chest hurts, so does my head." Percy groaned._

_"What's the last thing you remember?"_

_"I remember seeing the first plane hit the tower. I remember getting a little girl out of the elevator in the North tower. I remember the South Tower collapsing. Emily and I tried to hide behind a car. But that's it."_

_"Who's Emily?"_

_"The girl I rescued from the elevator." Percy replied immediately._

_"Can you tell me anything about her?"_

_"Her name is Emily Brancheau, she's eight years old, has strawberry blonde hair, and green eyes." Louise nodded as she scribbled down the final notes on her pad._

_"Well sir, it appears that you are suffering from memory loss, due to the lack of oxygen, the debris and smoke from the towers falling. It seems you can only remember the last things on your mind."_

_"When will I remember everything?"_

_"I can't tell for sure, but it looks to me like a case of temporary memory loss. In time, you will regain the majority of your memory, if not all. Now I'm going to put the oxygen mask back on, and you will go back to sleep, okay?" Percy nodded, and let the world around him disappear._

_~END OF FLASHBACK~_

"They took me to the hospital, where I received a lung transplant on my right lung, which had died due to lack of oxygen. I gained the majority of my memory back within a year and a half. But I never gained back any memories from college, so I couldn't work at my old job as a Social Service worker because I didn't remember any of the training. I haven't remembered anything after college up until the North Tower crashing."

"How did your mom find you?" Annabeth asked hesitantl , not sure if she could ask questions.

"My friend Katie works at the hospital as a nurse, so luckily she saw me, and called my mom." Annabeth nodded.

"So now you work at _Blue Icing?_"

"Yeah, but I'm going to start working full time at St. Vincent's." He smiled at the thought of doing something real with his life.

"What will you do there?"

"They want to hire me as a trauma counselor."

"What about your old job?" She asked. "Why wouldn't you just get extra credits for that?"

"That phase of my life is over now... Quite honestly it would just remind me of what happened way too much."

"Speaking of what happened, what happened to Emily?" Percy nearly choked on his drink.

"What?"

"What happened to her? Did you ever see her again?" Percy didn't meet her gaze.

"She died." He answered shortly. "She died on the way to the hospital."

"How?"

"Her paramedic was helping someone else too, and he left her unattended in the ambulance for forty five minutes, which normally wouldn't be a big problem, except the fact that she had been bleeding out of the back of her head for a couple hours."

"Oh Percy!" Annabeth reached across and grabbed his forearm, squeezing it for support.

"No one noticed because she seemed fine, and her hair covered it. Debris must have hit her after she passed out. Her skull was literally broken open, and her brain was bleeding. He didn't notice until it was too late." Percy choked out.

"Percy," She tried to sooth.

"When we got to the hospital I met her family. Her parents were divorced, Sharron and Jeff, they were such good people. They had such an amazing daughter."

"It sounds like they did." Percy continued to cry, as he lifted up his shirt, revealing not only a great set of chiseled and toned abs, but a small tattoo right under his arm, which could be easily concealed if he just left his arm down.

"What does it say?" Annabeth asked, in a hushed voice, reaching over to run her fingers lightly over the inked writing.

"Emily." He replied, pulling his shirt back down, and wiping the tears from his eyes.

"That's sweet." Percy kept his eyes trained on his shoes.

"Annabeth, you asked me why I rescued you that second time..."

"Yeah?" Annabeth nodded.

"When I said that I felt a personal connection to you, I truly did. When I was holding onto Emily, and we had just gotten out of the North Tower, we were watching all the people jump... I don't remember anything specific, but I do remember how heart wrenching it was to watch those people jump. I'm almost certain that I thought of you in that moment. Since than I have vowed that I will never watch that happen again. That's why I stopped you." At this point both of them were crying.

"Annabeth, I may never remember you, but I will never forget the way it feels to watch a life disappear in front of your eyes, a life you knew you could save."

"Never remember, but never forget." Annabeth repeated.

_"Never remember, but never forget."_ Percy gave a small smile.

**Authors' Note:**

**Hello! Sorry for the delay in posting, but as you can tell this is a much longer chapter than we usually post, therefore it took longer than usual to update. That and the fact that I (Kathleen) am a huge procrastinator. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter; we will post our next chapter around the end of July. We have also completed a Dramione story titled Somewhere In My Memory, which you can find on our profile. Please leave a review and etc. We also love PMs so feel free to do that too! Also, follow us on Twitter and Instagram 2owlsatweeting for other updates and sneak peeks! Thanks so much for your patience!**

**-Kathleen **


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